We are hiring for a Research and Engagement Officer

If you are excited by the chance of supporting changemakers to apply their research in order to help improve life in the UK, this could be the perfect role for you.

The Research and Engagement Officer will play a crucial role in our Engagement team, supporting two Research and Engagement Managers to develop new programmes and help support the work of our Fellows across our universal themes of: Arts and culture, Community and citizenship, Economy and enterprise, Education and skills, Environment and resources, Governance and public provision, Health and wellbeing, and Science and technology.

As you can see, you will need to be comfortable working in an adaptable and responsive manner, and have a passion for enabling change across a wide variety of areas. This is a new role and the specifics will be developed in collaboration with the Research and Engagement Managers in order to support the efforts of the team overall, but a small sampling of some of the things you might do in this position includes:

• Carrying out desk-based research to map organisations in one of the above themes
• Facilitating in-person or online workshops
• Attending events in the social sector to build connections
• Developing relationships with influencers, policymakers and other interest groups relevant to our themes in order to promote our Fellows’ ideas and expertise
• Creating written materials such as case studies and briefings

Requirements

You don't need to be an expert in our areas of interest/themes, but a broad interest in societal issues is essential coupled with a keenness to learn about new areas. Getting the right person for our team is the priority and there are a lot of different routes you might have taken to reach this point: you may have worked in a policy/campaigning charity or a think tank. You might be coming from public affairs or this might be your first full-time job. You might come from a research or community activism background, you might have supported a professional network or alumni group, or you might have done something entirely different. If you can demonstrate a commitment to helping others and a passion for our work, we want to hear from you.

Collaboration will be key and great communication skills, both written and verbal, are a priority. You must be able to present ideas clearly and confidently and tailor communications to different audiences. Our team is developing and growing, so we are still defining our processes but you will be expected to use tools such as Salesforce, Trello and generative AI as part of your work. Don’t worry if you’re not an expert however, all we ask at this point is that you’re enthusiastic about learning if you’re not already familiar with these systems.

About our charity: Join us to support people-led change across the UK

We run the Churchill Fellowships, a unique programme that supports UK citizens to find new solutions worldwide for today’s most pressing challenges

Every year we fund over 100 new Fellows to discover the latest ideas and best practice in any practical issue they care passionately about, anywhere in the world. The topics they explore cover every aspect of society and are often informed by their own lived experience. They meet leading practitioners, encounter cutting-edge projects and gather their findings in a published report. Then we help them to turn their ideas into action and inspire change in their communities and professions across the UK.

Fellows tell us that their Fellowship is life-changing, for themselves and for those who benefit from their global learning. These are dedicated and practical individuals with a strong vision of the change they want to see, the knowledge to progress it and the drive to make it happen.

As a result, their impact is felt throughout the UK and many go on to be leaders in their fields. Our unique approach has created a community of thousands of highly effective changemakers working on the frontlines of today’s key issues. At the heart of all this is a simple but enduring concept: we are empowering individuals to learn from the world and transform lives across the UK.

Working for The Churchill Fellowship

Detailed package, benefits and wellbeing package:

• Salary c. £28,000 - £32,000 per annum
• 36.5 hour working week, to include a paid hour for lunch
• Open to flexible/compressed working hours
• Hybrid working policy
• 30 days holiday a year, to include 5 set days over Christmas Break. Increasing to a
• maximum of 35 days accumulate with length of service.
• 6 days a year paid leave for volunteering
• Non-contributory pension scheme with 10% employer contribution
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay
• Employee Assistance programme
• Life assurance
• Bike purchase salary sacrifice scheme (Cycle2Work)

Standard working hours are 36.5 hours a week 9.30am until 5.00pm, Monday to Thursday and from 9.30am until 4.00pm on Friday, including a paid lunch break of one hour.

We have embraced the benefits of working from home and at the same time, we value the contribution of face-to-face contact in building teamwork, collaborating with your colleagues, exchanging ideas and know-how, and for work efficiency. We therefore operate a hybrid working policy, where staff can work from home if they wish, however everyone is required to work in the office a minimum of 4 to 6 days a month with Tuesdays as the core day for regular whole team meetings.

Note: unfortunately, we are not currently in a position to offer sponsorship for visas and all applicants will need to have, and be able to prove, the right to work in the UK.

How to apply

Please use your CV and cover letter as an opportunity to tell us a bit more about who you are as a person. We want to understand how you as an individual are going to be a great fit for this role. In addition, we have three short questions we would like you to answer to help get to know you better at this stage of the process.

We will be managing the hiring process through the CharityJob platform where you can apply.

The closing date for applications is 9am on 8 November 2023.